Lost Burnese Mountain Dog returned to owner

Thanks to the swift actions of a nationally renowned tracking company and the good deeds of a local animal control officer, one visitor to the county of Louisa has been reunited with one of her closest companions.

Paige Bastian, of Reston, lost her six-year-old Burnese Mountain Dog, Dee, while visiting her parents over Memorial Day weekend at their Lake Anna home. As Bastian ran errands with her mother on Sunday, May 26, Dee jumped a fence surrounding the house and did not respond to calls for her.

On Wednesday, Bastian contacted the national tracking agency, Lost Pet Professionals, hoping to get a lead on the location of her pet.

Lost Pet Professionals uses dogs from rescue shelters as trackers to latch onto the scent of a lost animal. Once the dogs catch on to the scent, they form a perimeter, giving their handlers a good idea of the lost pet’s location.

According to their website, the Nebraska-based tracking company has assisted more than 2,000 pet owners find their lost pets since the agency’s inception in 2005. The company has been featured on various news outlets such as the Today Show, CBS News and the New York Times due to their unique approach to the search and rescue process.

The group of four tracking dogs and their handler, Jordina Ghigerri, arrived at Lake Anna within 48-hours of being contacted and began tracking on Friday, May 31. Using the scent of a blanket that Dee slept on, the trackers were able to lock onto the five-mile path the lost canine had traversed. Bastian said during the tracking process is where the dogs showed their true determination.

“We ran across snakes, a four foot high wasp nest, it was crazy,” Bastian said.

Read The Central Virginian’s July 4 edition for the rest of the story.